As You Like It
by dickard23
Summary: She's the captain of the soccer team, a star student and has a quarterback for a boyfriend. It sounds like the perfect senior year for Brenda Leigh, but her personal life is never that simple. Imagine your favorite characters as they were teens (or as teachers) and throw them all in the same school. Get ready for an adventure.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Brenda was always a competitive girl. Growing up with three older brothers meant she had to fight for attention. She aimed to be the best at everything she did: soccer, school, and she was one of the most popular girls in school. It was never enough for her. She was missing something. She just didn't know what it was. She had a boyfriend, who was the quarterback and captain of the football team. She had a best friend and a bunch of younger girls who looked up to her. She had a car and even had a family dog. To the outsider looking in, Brenda had quite the life, but she knew there was something more out there. She just had to find it.

Summer's End.

Saturday Night

"Earth to BRENDA!" Her boyfriend, Will Pope, hollered at her. "Are you ready to go?"

"Oh Yes. Sorry Will. I was lost in thought."

"You're always thinking." Will didn't get that. He had enough of thinking.

They went on their date. Of course, he took her to a horror movie. She didn't like them very much, so she would cling to him when she got scared. He loved that. It was a classic teenage date: burger, movie backseat.

They went to Farm Burger. Will got a double cheeseburger with bacon, fries and a root beer float, like always. Brenda got the Blackboard Burger, No. 5: arugula, peach chutney and goat cheese. She always got a different burger, since they had so many possibilities.

The movie wasn't as gory as past ones. The blood looked pretty fake. Instead of being scared, Brenda just thought it was silly. She spent most of the movie laughing. Will was not amused.

After the movie, they found their way into the backseat of Will's Ford. He took off his letterman's jacket and put his hands on Brenda's waist. They spent a lot of time kissing in the back of this car, but that was about it. Some nights, she let him go to second, but he never got any further. He was a little anxious. All of his other friends were bragging about how far they had gotten with their dates. They were likely embellishing, but it still irked him.

He tried to slip his hand under her sweater, but she set his hands back down. "Patience," she whispered into his ear. He held back. Brenda was not one to change her mind. Thirty minutes later, it was time to take her home. She had a curfew and Will knew not to cross her father. He dropped her off and drove home.

Willie Rae thought he should have walked her to the door. Clay thought she could do better. Brenda greeted both her parents and went to bed.

Sunday Morning

Brenda spent it at church with her parents, like she did every Sunday. She didn't want to be there. Her father really didn't want to be there, but it was important to Willie Rae, so there they were. Of course, al of the other good Christian families were at church. The mothers greeting each other and were friendly, if only during services. The men would make small talk, usually about sports. Brenda would just sit there, the rare moments when her her mind kept drawing a blank.

Irene and her family were at the United Methodist Church on the other side of town. David was there with his family and of course, Principal Taylor was towards the front, schmoozing with the minister.

"What a suck up," David muttered.

Irene laughed as his mother scolded him.

After services, the various families went to brunch, all jabbering about the upcoming school year. Brenda dreaded it. Her family kept talking about Emory. She did not want to stay in Atlanta. She mostly would try and change the subject.

First Day of School

Monday

It was time for school to start. Brenda had on a new dress. It was red and white and complimented her figure nicely. She wanted to stand out, make a good impression, not that everyone didn't already know who she was. She started off high school as Jimmy's little sister. She was going to end it on her own terms.

"What a lovely dress, Brenda."

"Thanks Mama."

"Where did you get it?"

"I bought it with my Christmas money. I went shopping with Irene."

"That's nice. Well have a great first day. Clay aren't you going to say something to your daughter."

"You better not bring home any Bs or you won't get into Emory."

"I meant something supportive, Clay."

"Oh! Break a leg dear, not your own."

Brenda sighed and drove her car to school. She wasn't the best driver. She always was getting distracted. Cars would honk at her, which would only get her more flustered. She almost hit David pulling into the parking lot.

"Having a bad day Brenda!"

"Sorry, David. I didn't see you."

"You missed a 6'2 black man. You need your vision checked."

Brenda chuckled and walked into school.

Of course, Will was waiting for her at the door, making sure everyone knew she was his girlfriend.

He walked her to her locker. They didn't share any of the same classes this year. Brenda went with honors classes, trying to set herself apart. Will only needed C's, just high enough so he could get a football scholarship, regular classes and minimal work it was.

Brenda had Government, English, German, Biology, and Calculus. It was going to be quite a rough year.

English was first. She was surprised to see Flynn in an honors class. "Are you lost, Andy?"

"My mother made me sign up for this. Maybe if I act out, she'll kick me out and send me to regular English." Now that sounds like Flynn.

"It's time for class." Mrs. Raydor did not put up with any distractions. "Today, we will be starting with The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Who here has heard of it?"

Many hands went up.

"Who here has read it?"

Only Mike's hand went up. "Well good. This will be new for most of you. This is a story of dignity and repentance and is Hawthorne's magnum opus."

"Is that a new product by Trojan?" asked Flynn, sardonically. Everyone chuckled.

"Oh good, a volunteer. You can present tomorrow, Andy." Everyone laughed.

Crap! Not a good start at all.

Mrs. Raydor spent the rest of the class discussing both the structure of the course, the assignments and how they would be graded, along with the theme. This semester would be on society and how it develops its own sense of right and wrong. The spring semester would be on individuals and how they can develop their own codes of conduct independent from the cultures in which they were raised.

It looked to be a challenging class but an interesting one at that. Brenda was impressed with the syllabus. It had a combination of classic literature and contemporary work and everything from period drama to sci-fi/fantasy. Every book was from a different author.

Biology was next. Dr. Langley was quite boring. He spoke in a monotone voice and kind of rambled. Brenda was going to be buying a course guide asap.

German was third. Brenda was close to fluency. She could speak and listen quite well. She just needed more work on her writing and grammar. There was only one German teacher at the school, so Brenda was quite used to her.

Lunch time

The teachers had their own table off to the side. Like most high schools, the students segregated in various ways: athletes split up by sports team, the cheerleaders were right by them, there was a table for the hardcore Christians, a table for the geeks, an outcast table for the freaks and the practical jokers had their own spot

Will of course sat with the football players, Mike and Buzz with the A/V club, Irene was with the cheerleaders, David with the basketball team, and Flynn and Provenza were two of the jokers. They lived to disrupt class and drive Principal Taylor bonkers. His first announcement of the year would be happening after lunch. They were ready for him. Brenda had her place with the soccer team. She was one of the team captains. Today was going to be their first full practice after tryouts the week before. It should be fun.

"How was your summer, Will?" one of the players asked him.

"You know, same old: sports camp, chatting with recruiters, some one on one time with Brenda."

"Forget football. Time with Brenda sounds like a workout."

The team started chuckling. He had quite the girlfriend, pretty, fiery and a daddy's girl. She was quite the prize.

Lunch was pretty generic: chicken tenders and fries. There was a wilted excuse for a salad, fruit cups and yogurt available as well.

Many of the girls nibbled on the food, always worrying about their figures. Brenda, however, dug in. She was hungry, and she knew practice would be rough today. She needed her energy. Estelle was one of the cheerleaders, eating nothing but a salad for lunch. "I can't believe Brenda eats that crap. It's going to go straight to her hips." Irene rolled her eyes.

After lunch, it was time to go to the auditorium for assembly. First, the Vice Principal Ross made some remarks. Then, he handed over the mike to Taylor.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to thank you all for joining us today." Not that they had any choice. "This is going to be a very successful school year because …." The microphone cut out. Taylor tapped on it a couple of times. "How do you get this thing to work?" The next thing he knew "Drop it Like it's Hot" by Snoop Dogg was blasting.

The crowd was cracking up. Seniors started to sing along and various people began to dance. Of course, Flynn and Provenza got one on Taylor with a little help from Buzz. They didn't tell him what they were up to. They just asked him to teach them how a/v equipment worked. He thought that they might join the club. Oops!

They finally managed to cut the feed. Principal Taylor promised that there would be consequences. Assembly cancelled, now it was back to class.

Calculus was next on the docket for Brenda. Mike answered all of the questions. Everyone else stayed quiet. It was easier to let him geek out than it was to try and get a word in edgewise. Brenda wrote down what was on the board. She knew if she saw it enough times, it would eventually make sense.

The last class was Government. Brenda was expecting Mr. Jenkins, but a different man was at the desk.

"Hi everyone. My name is Mr. Howard, and I will be teaching this class.

"What happened to Mr. Jenkins? He didn't die, did he?" Estelle always knew how to make scenes uncomfortable.

"No, he took a job as an advisor for the Department of Justice."

"You look too young to be a teacher."

"This is my first year." Fritz had just graduated from Georgetown four months earlier. He was going to teach for a year before he went back for his masters. "Enough about me. Let's get to work."

Mr. Howard had three broad topics for the year: what is the government, how is it formed and what does it do. To answer these questions, they would be studying the Constitution, civics, government action: statutes, executive decisions, court cases, administrative agencies and public policy: education, poverty/unemployment, crime, national security and liberty interests.

He was not very loud, but he spoke with confidence. He had an accent, clearly, he was from the northeast. He managed to get through his lesson plan without too much trouble.

Brenda thought he was quite the optimist. If this was like any of her other classes, there was no way they could get through all this stuff. All he needed was some time at this school. He would be jaded soon enough.

After Government, it was time for sports. Will hit the football field, Brenda the soccer field. It was not an easy first practice. They had a lot of running. Brenda ran over the summer, but she didn't have a coach blowing a whistle at her at the time. They ran a lot of sprints, some interval runs and a longer piece.

"The team that can last until the end will win the game," Coach Andrea told them. When they weren't running, they had burpees (alternating pushups and jump squats), agility drills and jump rope. Brenda, like everyone else, was exhausted after the practice. It was time for a shower and then head home and hit the books. She had a lot of reading to do.


	2. Chapter 2

The Weekend

Friday Afternoon

The weekend was finally here. The students spilled out of class, clamoring about their weekend plans. People broke out into their usual social groups. The jocks did the usual stuff around town: mall, movies, cheap dinners. The cheerleaders were automatically invited. The geeks often had a game to play, Call of Duty 2, Super Smash Bros. The freaks were more obscure, independent films or contemporary art shows.

Will walked out with his arm around his girlfriend. "Waffle House at 7," he told her.

"Waffle House, again." Brenda had a lot of contempt for that place. People were always behaving badly. If they weren't throwing drinks, they were throwing punches.

"It's a tradition, Babe." Brenda sighed. "I'll meet you there. Irene and I are going shopping first."

"Again?"

"I like to look my best. I assume you appreciate that."

"How could I not? See you later." He kissed her quickly and was off with his friends.

Irene and Brenda headed to the mall. They tried on new dresses and chatted about the first week. "What do you think of the new guy?" Irene asked her.

"The new guy?"

"Mr. Howard."

"Oh him. He's nice."

"Just nice?"

"What did you expect me to say?"

"A few girls on the team said he was dreamy."

"Dreamy? I guess, but he's a little old for me." Brenda laughed. "Do you think he's dreamy?"

"I don't know him. It's just what I heard."

"Let me guess, Estelle."

"How did you know?"

"She'd do anything for an A."

"What is it with you two?"

"I don't know. She just rubs me the wrong way."

"I know the feeling."

Irene ended up with this cute green top and a new skirt. Brenda found a baby blue shirt and a new pair of skinny jeans.

They grabbed a snack at the food court and then went home.

"Brenda Leigh. How was your first week of school?"

"Same old, Mama."

"But you're a senior now. I'm sure lots of things are different."

"Same crummy food. Same banal classmates. Nope, exactly the same."

"Well, when you look back, I'm sure you'll have great memories of this year."

The door handle turns. Clay comes in from work. "Please tell me dinner is almost ready. I'm starving."

"You'll have to wait 20 minutes Clay. The casserole is still baking."

"I'll be eating at Waffle House," Brenda told them.

"But you hate Waffle House," Clay reminded her. "Who didn't. What a terrible place."

"I know, but it's tradition."

"Well, be back by curfew."

"Of course, Daddy." Brenda took her shower, put on her new jeans and a black top and drove to Waffle House.

When she got there, there was already a bunch of players there, chatting, more like yelling across the table. When Brenda appeared, Martin moved over, so she could sit with her boyfriend. They ordered food and sodas and the bragging began. Who could bench the most. Who had the biggest biceps. Bro talk took over, and Brenda tuned it out. She made her appearances because this kind of stuff was important to Will, but Brenda had little interest in bro-time. The other girls were either tuning out or completely vacant. Their heads found their boyfriend's shoulders. They giggled at terrible jokes. Brenda had a smile on her face, but she was not amused.

As the food came, the antics began: straws in the nose, making weird animal noises. The waitresses ignored them. This was nothing new.

Eventually, it was time to go. Will slipped his arm around Brenda. "Wanna spend some time in my car with me?"

"I have a curfew, Will."

He looked bummed out. She gave him a kiss. "How about tomorrow afternoon?"

He smiled and headed home.

Brenda hated driving in the dark. She finally made her way home and said good night to her parents. She climbed up into bed and went to sleep.

Saturday

The football season didn't officially start for another two weeks, so this morning was an extra-long practice. They had a lot of drills, running, and they had a full lifting workout at the end. Will was determined to bench 250lbs today. The bar did not agree with him. Julio had to pull the bar off his chest.

"I would have had it," Will insisted.

"Maybe next month, Pope." He laughed as he went back to his workout.

The varsity soccer team had a scrimmage with the JV squad. Brenda, like many of the starters, didn't get a chance to play all that much. No point getting hurt in a meaningless match and it was a good way to test out the new players. The new players needed a lot of work. "You need to keep your assignments," Andrea yelled as she blew her whistle. Offense wins crowds but defense wins championships, and she was determined to win this year.

Brenda spent her time on the bench reviewing the playbook. She wasn't sure if the team could handle these formations. She started sketching out some new plays in her notebook, hoping a solution would emerge.

After the final whistle blew, they all shook hands and the coach went over the good and the bad, mostly focusing on what was bad. "If you defend like that, you will lose."

Brenda did not like losing. After practice, she pulled the new players aside and tried to encourage them. "This is a new system. You will need to practice. Try meeting up together and practicing your zones on Sundays.

The girls hit the showers and Brenda headed home.

Mrs. Raydor was in her office, grading her students' homework assignments. Overall, they weren't too shabby. Some students needed a lot of work, but many of them seemed to be paying attention and looking for more than just the plot. She was pleasantly surprised by Andy's work. He was a wise-ass in class, but his work was rather insightful. He wrote on the paradox of Puritan New England. They shamed sex and Hester for getting pregnant, but without sex, they wouldn't exist. Instead of celebrating all life when all people are God's creatures, they only wanted life on their own terms. Maybe he won't be so bad after all.

Saturday night

Will picked up Brenda to take her to a movie. "I thought you were coming by earlier," she told him as she stepped out of the house.

"Sorry about that. I got caught up with the guys. Julio said I was a weakling, and we got into a lift off."

"How badly did you lose?"

"Brenda! You're supposed to be on my side."

"Sorry, but he's a powerlifter. He won the state championship in his class last year."

Will sighed. "Ready to go?" Brenda got in his car, and they were off. They got to the theater. Will wanted to see Fast and Furious, but it already started.

"Oh, they're playing Moonrise Kingdom. Do you want to watch that instead?"

Will really didn't, but if it would get her in the mood...

Brenda thought the movie was romantic. Will thought it was dull. Since when did Bruce Willis become appear in such sissy movies. Whatever happened to just doing too many Die Hard movies? Brenda's head rested on Will's shoulder. That, he could get used to.

Eventually, the movie was over, and Will was ready to drive off with Brenda. "What a beautiful story?" she said as they went towards the car. She saw Mr. Howard with a young lady. "That must be his girlfriend," Brenda whispered to his ear.

"Who is that?"

"He's my government teacher."

"He looks like he's in undergrad."

Fritz and Cindy had just left the same showing. He liked the movie. Cindy, not so much.

Will and Brenda made it to the car, and he started to drive. He had a favorite spot, where the abandoned train tracks lay. "Are you in the mood for love?"

"That, Will, was very cheesy."

"Can't blame a guy for trying?" The kissing festival began. His fingers found her curly locks and her hands rested on his shoulders. They jostled around, trying to get positioned. Once they found their tempo, Will tried to move things further along, and Brenda let him, to a point. Over the shirt was okay, under it, not so much.

Will just couldn't figure her out. He took her out. He payed, but she didn't put out. She's not very religious. She hates going to church. What's her deal? Well over the shirt was better than nothing. His hands were clumsy and not very gentle. He did not have the best technique. Brenda imagined this would feel much nicer if Will knew how to use his hands.

Eventually, it was the dreaded curfew time and Will drove Brenda home. She kissed him goodnight and headed inside. Her parents were already asleep, so she just went upstairs, brushed her teeth and went to bed.


End file.
